Fixation (Fatal Attraction #3)

Chapter 15

15

R eina hurried down in the direction of Vedant’s room, passing several doors until she reached the one at the end. She knocked on the double doors, seeking entry. On hearing no response, she pulled it open and entered into a large, modern sitting room, done primarily in white and grey.

“Mr. Oshnov,” she called out.

No reply. Where was he? Oh God, had the stupid man injured himself? Was he lying hurt and wounded somewhere inside? Without another thought, she sped to the bedroom beyond the living room. She opened her mouth to call out to him and froze.

Vedant was exiting what looked to be a walk-in wardrobe, his chest bare and dressed only in sweatpants. He was wiping his face with a towel in one hand, while his other hand was running through his hair. Her heart began to gallop in her chest. Hot. Damn.

She’d already seen him in swimming trunks. By now, she knew exactly what his body looked like. Yet, she stared at him, wide-eyed. Vedant looked… phenomenal. Freshly bathed, water droplets still dripping down his bare chest, his hair damp, and his beard trimmed to a barely there stubble, he was… Good God, he was breathtaking.

He looked up and froze on seeing her. Look away from him. Focus Reina, and stop staring at his abs or his face or his chest or… Stop staring, period.

A brilliant smile etched on his face. It stole her breath away.

“Hi.”

“Umm…”

He chuckled, sounding very amused. It snapped her out of her daze.

“What is wrong with you?” she stormed. “How could you decide to shift out of the care room without consulting me?”

He stared at her, his gaze heating as it roamed over her white shirt and the simple grey leggings, she’d teamed with it.

“You’re very clever, you know,” he told her. “I know what you’re doing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She slammed her hands on her hips. “I’m so mad at you. Do you have no regard for your own well-being?”

He lowered his chin a fraction. “I’m fine, Reina. I’d been confined in that room for way too long. I wanted to return to my own room and wear my own clothes, and shower in my own bathroom. That’s all.”

“You’ve barely healed and you climbed a whole bunch of stairs?”

His brows quirked. “We have an elevator.”

“Oh!” she breathed out. She hadn’t known that. Had never bothered to find out.

He neared her slowly, the limp in his leg still pronounced. Reaching her, he plucked her glasses from her nose. Before she could react to that, he removed the tight clip from her head. Her hair tumbled down her back.

“There you are, my beautiful Reina. I see you.”

Pocketing both her glasses and her clip in his sweat sweat-pants, he gave her a mischievous look.

“Wh…what are you doing? Give those back to me at once.”

He shrugged. “Take them yourself, if you want.”

Her eyes flicked to his lower body and she gulped. There was no way she was reaching inside the pockets of his sweatpants and removing her things. In fact, she ought to stop looking at that part of him immediately. However, her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they coasted over his body, looking anywhere they wanted as per their own fancy. Her gaze paused on the tattoo on his bicep. The urge to once again trace the ink pulsed through her fingers, so much so that she had to curl her hand into a fist to stop herself from doing exactly that. Ugh. She was going mad.

“I like how you’re checking me out,” he intoned naughtily. “So sexy.”

A burn crept up her cheeks. “Fuck. Can you not wear a shirt?”

“I can, but I need help. Will you help me?”

She narrowed her eyes. “At this point, I’m not sure if you really need help or you’re just behaving as such to see my reaction.”

“Both. Now come help me, doctor. I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to hurt myself.”

He sat down on the bed and offered his t-shirt to her. She moved closer to him. She inhaled, and his delicious scent washed over her. It was leather, musk, and wood. So potent, so strong, so him. She’d once wondered what he smelled like. Now she knew. It wasn’t sporty and fresh; his scent was hot and sexy, just like him. She took another greedy whiff and snatched the t-shirt from his hands. Stretching one sleeve out into a circle, she held it out for him, refusing to look at his chest or his arm or his abs… any part of his anatomy, basically. He put his arm through it and then the other until he was fully covered. Thank God.

She backed a step. He caught her wrist, keeping her close to him. As usual, a strong current ran through her. Then her belly rumbled, and goosebumps erupted on her skin. How could such a simple touch evoke such a profound reaction from her?

Vedant was staring at her wrist too. “Tell me you didn’t feel that.”

She licked her dry lips. Of course, she’d felt it. But accepting it meant that she was accepting all that she was feeling around him, and she was scared to do that. Besides, she was still mad at him. Yes, she had to focus on that.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said as calmly as she could, despite her racing heart.

His lips curved in that beautiful smile, making her breath hitch.

“Go on, keep trying to elude what is happening between us. But it won’t last very long.”

He ran a finger around her pulse point. She had to force herself to not tremble under his touch. Fuck. This was getting out of control. It was like there was something pulling her to him and him to her. It wasn’t supposed to feel so right. His touch ought never to make her crave and yet it did. Her resistance to him was waning with every touch.

Finally, releasing her, he rose slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, and took a slow step toward her. Her eyes widened, but she remained in place. The limp in his leg was evident. He took another step to stand toe-to-toe with her. Her throat worked as she stared up at him. Standing like this, him towering over her, she was reminded of how tall he was and how petite she was in front of him. Her heart began to throb. A flood of want assaulted her. This man made her feel too damn much.

He caressed her cheek and she backed a step, shaking her head. She had to stop this now before it took a mind of its own and led her down a dangerous path of no return. He took a step forward, and she retreated once more. They walked liked this, him forward, her backward for a few more steps, until her back hit a wall.

He took another step forward, and now his whole body was touching hers, crowding her in. A hand on the side of the wall blocked her from escape. She turned and another hand trapped her. She breathed out heavily, her heart hammering hard.

“ Moya prekrasnaya , Reina. You are so beautiful. So stunning. I see you, all of you.”

She licked her lips. “What do you mean?”

“I see how you’re trying so hard to control your reaction to me. I see how your lips are trembling despite that, how your body is tilting toward me of its own accord. I see you, the strong, brave, and beautiful woman I want to claim, if she will let me.”

Her mouth fell open, and she stared at him transfixed. He laughed, his eyes looking down to her hands, one of which was clutching the centre of his t-shirt and the other was curled around his bicep.

She gasped. Why couldn’t she stop touching him? Before she could remove her hands, he lifted each of them with his own and pulled them to the side of the wall, caging her to him. He leaned forward and inhaled from the side of her neck.

“Your scent drives me mad,” he whispered against her throat. “So, fucking amazing.”

She gulped, unable to form a single word, unable to even gather the strength or the willpower to release herself from him.

“No more running, Reina,” he whispered, his mouth still on her throat. “Be honest, do you regret what happened between us in the pool? Do you want me to let you go?”

Her head was swimming now.

He suckled the side of her neck. “Tell me to leave you alone, and I will.”

Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

He raised his head to meet her gaze. “I need to hear your words. Tell me to leave you alone.”

“That’s just it,” she breathed out. “I can’t.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

“I…” she swallowed nervously, “I… God…”

Her mind was all over the place. The sane part of her was telling her to end this right now, but that impractical side of her mind was telling her to take a leap of faith and see where she landed. Need began to beat like a drum in her blood.

She stared at him and found him watching her, waiting for her reply.

“Vedant…”

He put a finger on her lips, releasing her hands. “Fucking finally, she takes my name. Don’t say anything more. Just remember this is the name you’re going to be screaming very soon.”

“You and me... This is so inappropriate…” she protested.

“That’s why it’s going to be so much more fun.”

“Vedant…”

“I love hearing my name from your mouth. There are so many things I want to do you.” His gaze coasted over her mouth and then lowered down her chest, taking in her shape before it lowered further, heating her up everywhere it touched. “There is so much more I want you to do to me.”

She knew exactly what he was thinking. She was thinking about it too. Him and her on a bed, limbs entangled, mouths melding, bodies moving… Fuck. Her mind was running away.

She had to control herself and him. “Stop thinking that.”

His lips curved. “Stop thinking what? I don’t know what you are talking about.”

She lifted her jaw. “It’s not going to happen.”

“Still so stubborn, my beauty. What do you think will not happen?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not afraid to spell it out. You and me on a bed—that shouldn’t happen. I shouldn’t let it.”

One of them had to be sensible here, and it had to be her. She had to try and stop this fire before it blazed through them.

“Why only on a bed? What happened in the pool was only a fraction of what more can happen between us.”

Her cheeks burned, but he continued unfazed. “I can take you in the shower or against the wall there or against that table. Anywhere you want me, krasivyy . Oh, and before you ask, that means beautiful.”

Her heart jumped as her mind visualised her and him in each of the positions he’d listed.

He smirked. “You just pictured all of that, didn’t you?”

“Stop talking,” she said, her voice breathless.

“So, where do you want to try first?”

Her eyes flared, and her cheeks pinkened. Oh God, she had no idea. But now again her mind was back to all those possibilities.

She shook her head, clearing her mind. “I said, stop talking.”

“Given my current situation, I think woman-on-top would be perfect, but I can manage the regular missionary style?—”

She plastered her lips to his, stopping him from saying anything more outrageous. Her eyes widened at what she’d done, but before she could retreat, he caught her face in his hands and began to ravage her mouth. His kiss was hard, dominating, and so hot. Desire pulsed beneath her skin, awakening her soul.

This felt so right. He felt so Goddamn right. His mouth devoured hers, claiming her lips and tongue with hungry swipes. Her breasts crushed against his chest, and her arms pulled him closer, refusing to let go and stop this madness unfurling between them. Vedant was as hungry for her as she was for him. His lips moved across her mouth; they were a promise of more heat and more passion to come. Her body turned molten and the urge to give in to him thrummed in her blood. She, too, wanted more from him. His hands trailed over her hips, sliding under her shirt, caressing the bare skin of her waist.

She gasped, shifting away from him. He stared at her, his eyes hot and filled with desire for her, his breathing as choppy as hers. He lowered his mouth to hers and she slammed a hand on his lips.

“Please slow down,” she breathed out. “We’ve crossed so many lines already. I hardly know you, and this, you and me, is very overwhelming.”

He kissed her fingers. “At least you accept there is a you and me.” He backed a few steps. She felt his loss immediately. “I’m happy to go as slow as you want, Reina.”

He continued, “Tyrion helped me move back to my room. I knew it would irk you. He was instructed to only tell you where I was, and he did that. And see, it worked. You’re here, standing in my bedroom exactly as I wanted. You even accepted there is something between us.”

Her heart melted. This man was really trying his hardest to woo her, and truth be told, it was working. She could no longer fight this attraction between them, and it was getting harder for her to hide her reaction from him. For the first time in her life, she wanted to throw caution to the wind and simply be herself. But they had this whole truth between them that he wasn’t aware of: the truth that she was Navya’s sister. She was still torn about her decision to tell him that or not. Whether it was important or not for him to know.

“Have dinner with me,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her closer to him once more. “Like a date.”

Wait, what?

Her eyes rounded. “A date?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m incapable of leaving the house, and I really want to get to know you better.” At her silence, he said, “I can ask the chef to make your favourite food.”

“Your chef already knows my favourite food.”

“Managed to charm Tyrion and my chef, da ?”

“Tyrion is sweet. He’s been very helpful, and your chef was kind enough to ask us about our likes and dislikes.”

“Then tell me what your favourite food is. Tell me all your favourites. Let us get to know one another and then take it from there, da ?”

She gulped. “You and I having a dinner date is very… It’s very…”

He put a finger on her lips and whispered, “No one needs to know.”

Her heart was soaring and somersaulting. Was she really doing this? And if she was, then what about the fact that she was Navya’s sister? Could she tell him? Did she need to tell him? She silenced the sane voices in her head. Here in London, she was Dr. Reina Singh, a workaholic doctor who was a virgin at the age of twenty-seven. And he was the first man who was beginning to feel right. She wanted to first judge if her instincts about him were correct before revealing any more of herself to him. She also had so many questions about him. Perhaps she could ask them and gain more perspective into the man he was.

Agreeing to this would be a huge step for her.

But for the first time, she wanted to agree, to see how an evening spent with a man, with this man, would feel like.